samba - Nov 2001 - Config that worked before doesn't work now.. can't lock file..

Hello all,

I hope this is the list - I get E-mail addresses mixed up when there are
many..

Summary & Intro :)

I have a file server named Jukebox, running RedHat 7.0 OOTB (Out Of The
Box), installed as NFS server. I removed ypbind from this config and
installed samba and all its dependencies, as delivered by RedHat, with
RPM. After this, I took the smb.conf which worked on the previous config
of the same server (I put the hard disks containing the files in another
box, on which I installed this Linux), and copied the following files:
/etc/samba/smb.conf
/etc/samba/smbpasswd

First error I got was while locking the file MACHINE.SID. I copied the
one from the old config - no more problem for the moment. People with no
accounts can now get to the server w/o problem, but people with accounts
(with their own share on the server), like myself, can't.
To circumvent this and get as much usability as possible for the time
being, I put security on share - still can't get to the personal share,
but the rest if available.

After this, I did google searches for people with the same problem -
found lots of 'em, but no answers, so I'm going to be very detailed on
the technical bit:

Technical bit:
=============
My smb.conf file:
-- BEGIN /etc/samba/smb.conf --
# This is the main Samba configuration file. You should read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page in order to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options (perhaps too
# many!) most of which are not shown in this example
#
# Any line which starts with a ; (semi-colon) or a # (hash)
# is a comment and is ignored.
#
# Created by Ronald Landheer on 12 Oct 2001 for the Jukebox fileserver
###
# Global Settings
[global]
  available = yes
  browseable = yes
  case sensitive = no
  change notify timeout = 300
  deadtime = 15
  debug timestamp = yes
  debug hires timestamp = yes
  debug pid = yes
  debug level = 2
  default case = lower
  default service = pub
  delete readonly = no
  directory mask = 755
  dos filetime resolution = true
  dos filetimes = true
  encrypt passwords = yes
  fake directory create times = true
#  follow symlinks = no
# ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ <= this is a security measure
  force create mode = 400
  force directory mode = 100
  guest account = nobody
  hide dot files = yes
  hide files = lost+found
  hosts allow = 192.168.2.0/255.255.255.0 127.0.0.0/255.0.0.0
  invalid users = root
  log file = /var/log/samba.log
  mangle case = no
  map archive = no
  map hidden = no
  map system = no
  map to guest = bad user
  message command = /bin/mail -s 'message from %f on %m' root < %s;
rm %s
  preserve case = yes
  printable = no
  security = share
;  security = user
  server string = Jukebox
  short preserve case = yes
  socket options = TCP_NODELAY
  workgroup = MINISAT

[pub]
  browseable = yes
  guest ok = yes
  path = /pub/data/%S
  writeable = no
  write list = ronald boris
  force group = +samba_admins
  force create mode = 660
  force directory mode = 770

[goinfre]
  browsable = yes
  guest ok = yes
  path = /pub/data/%S
  writeable = yes
  guest only = yes
  force create mode = 666
  force directory mode = 777

[homes]
  admin users = @samba_admins
  browseable = no
  comment = directory for %S
  create mask = 766
  path = /pub/data/%S
  postexec = echo \"%u disconnected from %S at `date` (logged in from %m
(%I))\" >> /var/log/samba/sessions.log
  preexec = echo \"%u connected to %S from %m (%I) at `date`\"
>>
/var/log/samba/sessions.log
  revalidate = yes
  user = %S
  writeable = no
  write list = %S
--- end /etc/samba/smb.conf ---
Like I said, this used to work perfectly.
Now, this is what I get in the log file the first coouple of times:
-- BEGIN /var/log/samba/smb.log --
[2001/11/20 10:14:59, 1] smbd/files.c:file_init(215)
  file_init: Information only: requested 10000 open files, 1014 are
available.
[2001/11/20 10:14:59, 0] passdb/passdb.c:pdb_generate_sam_sid(952)
  unable to lock file /etc/samba/MACHINE.SID. Error was Invalid argument
[2001/11/20 10:14:59, 0] smbd/server.c:main(682)
  ERROR: Samba cannot create a SAM SID.
[2001/11/20 10:17:03, 1] smbd/files.c:file_init(215)
  file_init: Information only: requested 10000 open files, 1014 are
available.
[2001/11/20 10:17:03, 0] passdb/passdb.c:pdb_generate_sam_sid(952)
  unable to lock file /etc/samba/MACHINE.SID. Error was Invalid argument
[2001/11/20 10:17:03, 0] smbd/server.c:main(682)
  ERROR: Samba cannot create a SAM SID.
[2001/11/20 10:53:10, 1] smbd/files.c:file_init(215)
  file_init: Information only: requested 10000 open files, 1014 are
available.
[2001/11/20 10:53:10, 0] passdb/passdb.c:pdb_generate_sam_sid(952)
  unable to lock file /etc/samba/MACHINE.SID. Error was Invalid argument
[2001/11/20 10:53:10, 0] smbd/server.c:main(682)
  ERROR: Samba cannot create a SAM SID.
--- END /var/log/samba/smb.log ---
This is when I copied the MACHINE.SID file from the old config - which
worked (smb deamon started)

Still, I could not log in, so I replaced the /etc/samba/smbpasswd file
with an empty one, and ran
# smbpasswd -a ronald
After typing the password twice, it failed to lock & open the file -
"invalid argument".

With the FAQ being read on this subject, I added locking = no to the
[Global] section - didn't help.

Suggestions?

Thanx!

Ronald